1. Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to downhole tubulars. More particularly, embodiments disclosed herein relate to internally lined tubular connections and related methods of assembling internally lined tubular connections.
2. Background Art
Casing joints, liners, and other oilfield tubulars are frequently used to drill, complete, and produce wells. For example, casing joints may be placed in a wellbore to stabilize and protect a formation against high wellbore pressures (e.g., wellbore pressures that exceed a formation pressure) that could otherwise damage the formation. Casing joints are sections of pipe (e.g., steel or titanium), which may be coupled in an end-to-end manner by threaded connections, welded connections, or any other connection mechanisms known in the art. As such, connections are usually designed so that at least one seal is formed between an interior of the coupled casing joints and the annulus formed between exterior walls of the casing joints and the interior walls of the wellbore (i.e., the formation). The seals may be elastomeric (e.g., an o-ring seal), thread seals, metal-to-metal seals, or any other seals known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
It should be understood that certain terms are used herein as they would be conventionally understood, particularly where threaded tubular joints are connected in a vertical position along their central axes such as when making up a pipe string for lowering into a well bore. Typically, in a male-female threaded tubular connection, the male component of the connection is referred to as a “pin” member and the female component is called a “box” member. As used herein, “make-up” refers to engaging a pin member into a box member and threading the members together through torque and rotation.
Many downhole oil production operations may be conducted in highly corrosive environments resulting from production and/or re-injection of hydrocarbons and formation containing salts and gases, such as hydrogen sulphide and/or carbon dioxide, which may pass through the pipe interior. To provide a useful life to the pipes used in such environments, corrosion resistant liners (e.g., fiberglass liners) may be installed within each pipe before the pipe is made-up into a downhole string. Threaded and coupled (“T&C”) connections may be required to connect the pipe in an end to end relationship and to provide a continuity of the internal liner in the coupled joint, such that protection along a full length of the string (including the pipes and joints) against internal corrosion may be provided. Currently, threaded and coupled connections used with internally lined pipe require special modifications and/or affect the structural integrity of the pipe.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an internally lined pipe connection that is adaptable to a standard connection such that pipe lengths may be installed without substantial modification to the connection and without affecting a structural integrity of the pipe connection.